Amy is a blogger, the creator of #iprefercooking, Deputy Editor for Amor magazine, Nutritionist for Make Your Switch and a Freelance Journalist.

I sat down with Amy to find out more about her work, her passion for food, and her great recipes for less than £1.50!

Thanks for joining us Amy, could you tell us a bit about your blog and also Amor magazine?

My blog is basically all about budget food, so I post recipes and a few posts about tips and tricks to stay healthy on a small budget. Amor Magazine, is a female magazine all about empowering and educating the young woman, something I’m incredibly passionate about.

How did you get started out in journalism?

My sixth form had an open day and people from different industries came in and spoke to us, I met a woman from my local paper there and managed to talk her into letting me write a piece for the paper. From there I just kept applying for work experience and ended up writing more for local papers and eventually got into magazines.

How do you get commissions on a freelance basis – do companies come to you, do you use any particular websites or is it a bit of both?

It’s a bit of both really, I get commissions through Amor Magazine for freelance work but I have been approach in the past, for example I work with Make Your Switch writing budget recipes, they found me through my blog and commissioned work that way.
Tell us more about the recipes for less than £1.50, where did the idea come from and what is your current favourite recipe?

When I moved to University I found a lot of my friends didn’t really know how to cook and were often using the excuse of they couldn’t afford to buy fancy food. Then I noticed it online as well so I started shopping around and playing with recipes and then found it was actually really easy to cook a meal for less than £1.50 which was healthy.

My current favourite recipe is probably my cinnamon and apple pancakes they’re really easy to make and so so simple, I have them a lot for breakfast, lunch or pudding.
Do you have a guilty pleasure when it comes to food?

Cheese is my weakness too! How did your interest in nutrition come about?

I wouldn’t really consider myself to have an interest in nutrition as such, just a love of cooking. I really enjoy cooking as it means I just have fun playing with spices and seasoning and not really have to worry about anything, it’s a great way to switch off. The healthy bit just comes from my passion of being healthy as food has such a big impact on your body with regards to weight and skin.
What is your current go-to social network? What software/website do you use to write your blog?

Instagram, I am addicted to it, its a great way to meet and talk to like minded people about food and fitness. I use WordPress for my blog as it’s just nice and basic.

It sounds like you have a really busy professional life! How do you stay organised?

I don’t really! I am normally all over the place but I am constantly writing things down, I normally have a few to-do lists on the go and then just try and dedicate certain days to certain things.
What do you do for fun?

It’s a cliche but I enjoy going out with my friends, I am currently living in Antwerp for the year so I spend a lot of time walking around the city and exploring the art scene. I am also a big reader so enjoy sitting down with a cuppa tea for a few minutes and reading.

What is it like living in Antwerp, and is there anything specific that you miss from home?

It’s amazing, I’ve met so many different people and learnt so much about different cultures. However, I do really miss English food, crumpets and English muffins especially!

What is your top tip for someone that wants to eat more nutritious food but doesn’t really know where to start?

Check out my blog? No, I think the best place to start is with your shopping list. While I am a big meat eater I swap out meat every so often to try and experiment with other nutritious pulses and vegetables. I’d say look at what you normally buy and try and change a few meat bits. Oh and pulses and beans are cheaper than meat as they can be bought in a can often for less than 60p.